Berenice Abbott, Old Post Office, Park Row, Manhattan, May 4th, 1938
Jeffrey Hoone, executive director of the Coalition of Museum and Art Centers (CMAC), recently announced the acquisition of a major collection of photographs to the Syracuse University Art Galleries. This collection was an anonymous gift from a Syracuse University graduate, and includes more than 180 photographs by over 75 artists, including Ansel Adams, Alvin Langdon Coburn, Robert Frank, Laura Gilpin, Gertrude Käsebier, Andre Kertesz, Dorothea Lange, Helen Levitt, Eadweard Muybridge, Doris Ulmann, Carlton Watkins, Weegee and Edward Weston, to name a few.
With iconic and powerful images by some of the most revered names in photography, this is a gift of substantial art historical importance that adds significantly to the breadth and depth of the permanent art collection. The gift also enhances major holdings in the collection by such artists as Berenice Abbott, Paul Strand, W. Eugene Smith and Barbara Morgan, enabling the gallery to highlight these important photographers and make their works accessible to local, national and international audiences through exhibitions and programming opportunities.
An important aspect of this acquisition is the opportunity to foster further engagement and scholarship with undergraduate and graduate students enrolled at the University. A key element of the SUArt Galleries mission is to serve as a museum-laboratory for our students and university community. As such, during the spring 2019 semester, students enrolled in the course Collections Management, offered by the Department of Museum Studies in the College of Visual and Performing Arts, will document and catalog the objects. Under the guidance of course instructor and SUArt Galleries Associate Director Emily Dittman, the students will gain vital hands on experience performing museum registration procedures. This direct experience with objects will prepare them with the skills required to successfully compete and obtain future internships and professional roles in the cultural heritage field.
Additionally, the SUArt Galleries has selected a student curator to examine the collection to identify key groupings and subject matter for an exhibition at the Louise and Bernard Palitz Gallery at Syracuse University Lubin House. Natalie McGrath G’19, master’s degree candidate in the Department of Art and Music Histories, College of Arts and Sciences, will work closely with the curatorial team to gain professional experience participating in the full range of the exhibition research, development and execution process. This internship will provide McGrath with a coveted educational experience in a museum setting exposing her to wide range of curatorial duties, including original scholarship on the photography collection. The exhibition will open Aug. 27 and will be on display through Nov. 4, with the potential for presentation on Main Campus galleries at a future date.
